By Markus Skårnes
On the surface, a poem can appear simple. It can also appear unnecessarily complicated. The meaning of the words are often not as straightforward as people are used to from other kinds of text.
On the surface, a poem can appear simple. It can also appear unnecessarily complicated. The meaning of the words are often not as straightforward as people are used to from other kinds of text.
Poetry has an array
of tools which are used to make the reader think, paint images in the
reader's mind as well as to make the poem sound nice when read aloud.
Some important ones
are:
Metaphor –
Comparisons not using the words like or as.
Simile –
Comparisons using the words like or as.
Personification –
Attributing human aspects to an object.
Assonance –
Similar vowel sounds repeated.
Alliteration –
Words that start with the same consonant sound after each other.
Rhyme – Words
that end with similar sounds.
With these tools a poet is able to use each word to the fullest.
Even by just using metaphors, one can make one sentence have several meanings while at
the same time painting an image in the reader's mind.
Consider this poem,
which I wrote specifically for this example:
Words are a river
Through eyes into mind's ocean
thoughts and feelings, boats.
Here, metaphors are
used in all three lines. In comparing words to rivers I put an image
in the reader's mind. I also give words all the qualities of a river,
such as going from one place to another, flowing through the world
and transporting water.
The next metaphor
compares the mind to an ocean, expanding upon the first metaphor as
well as making another image. In this the qualities of an ocean
(vast, deep, dangerous, containing many different life forms and
places) are attributed to the mind. There is also the connection
between the two metaphors. Rivers run in to oceans, connecting two
bodies of water.
The last metaphor
compares thoughts and feelings to boats. Boats can sail upon the
river into the ocean. They may also not get to the ocean, stopping
short of the destination. This metaphor also gives an image and
expands upon the previous two lines.
I used 13 words to
describe all of this and more about what I feel is the link between
poet and reader.
Poems are just
words on a page. Strange cryptic words, rarely to be taken literally.
So what is the point of these words? Why do we need them? The
following video explores that question from the view of literary
critic, Stephen Burt.
It can be hard at
first to learn how to read a poem to get all that you can from it.
Understanding how all these literary devices come together is
sometimes necessary to fully understand a poem. However, to enjoy a
poem, they are not as necessary. Poems can amaze or intrigue a person
who have never heard of metaphors or similes.
Shape poems are a
good example of this. These are poems in which the words make a
shape, often representative of the poems' theme.
Using poems like
these to motivate people to further explore poetry might be a good
idea. And as they explore poetry further, gradually unlocking more
and more meaning behind the words, they begin to see poetry for what
it can be. A tool for understanding people and for expressing expressing feelings, experiences as well as
thoughts and reflections about the world.
Images (shape poems):
Video:
